Controller for electric motors.



PATBNTEDMAY 9, 1905.

C. A. STAUEEER.

CONTROLLER EUR ELECTRIC MOTRS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. l, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

SHI/f7 151.27

No. 789,572. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905. C. A. STAUPFER.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLIUAToN FILED SEPT. 1, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' l j By I No. 789,572.. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905. C. A. STAUI'FBR.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

APPLICATION FILED SBPT.1, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: INVENQR M wwwa/dm. @Mw/*7^ By I v ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Patented May 9, 1905.

PATENT OEEICE.

CHARLES A. STAUFEER, OF ELIZABETH, NEWT JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO DIEHL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

CONTROLLER FOR ELECTRIC MOTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,572, dated May 9, 1905.

Application filed September l, 1904. Serial No. 222,914.

To rtl?, wir/)77e if; 'nw/y/ concern:

Beitknown that LCiIAELns A. STAUEFER, a citizen of the United States, residingat Elizabeth, in the county of Union and State of .New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Controllers 'for Electric Motors, of which the following is aspecilication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improvement in means for controlling' the operation of electric motors in which the armature is adapted to be disconnected from the main circuit and short-circuited, so that while the iield remains excited the armature, continuing' to rotate under its own momentum, generates a current which under the iniiuence of the short circuit imposes an excessive load upon the arma! ture, and thus serves as a brake to arrest the rotation of the latter.

The invention has for its object to provide a controlling device for the several motorcircpits of such nature that a sing'le initial actuation of the same will cause iirst a short circuit of the armature and thereafter the opening of the iinal connection oiv the motor with the main circuit substantially as the movable member of the motor comes to rest.

The invention consists, essentially, in a motor having' its field-coils connected with thc niain circuit and an armature having' its terminals connected both with the main circuit and the short circuit and a compound switch having' successively-acting members for first exchanging' the main for the short circuit connection of the armature and subsequently interrupting the main-circuit connection with the field-coils.

The invention further includes specilic means under thein'liuence of the current g'cnerated in the armature short circuit for preventing' theiinal cut-out of the motor from the main circuit until the motor has practically come to rest.

The invention will be understood by reference to the drawings annexed, in which Figures l and 2 are diagrams representing` the several circuits of a shunt-motor with their electrical connections indicated, respectively, in ruiming and stopping relations. Eig'. 3 is a front view of the switch-box with the cover-plate removed to expose the parts within, and Eig'. 4 an end view of the same with the box or casing' partially in section. Fig'. 5 is an elevation of one of the switch members and the magnet 'for controlling' the same while the lnotor is coming to rest, and Fig'. 6 is an end view of another of the contact members with the points which it serves to connect. Fig. 7 is a diag'ram similar to Fig. 2, showing' the present improvement in connection with a series motor.

The motor is or may be of any well-known or suitable type in which both armature and field coils have normally direct connection withthe main circuit, while the armaturehas an independent normally open circuit, and, as represented in Figs. l and 2, comprises the armature A and shunt-field F, whose several circuits are controlled by a compound switch comprising the movable members S, S, and S2.

As indicated in Fig. l, the field F is connected with one terminal, l, of the main circuit through a wire 2, leading' to one contact-point of the switch-lever S, having a permanent connection with the other terminal, 3, of the main circuit, whereby the lield is maintained excited while the lever S is in initial position. One of the brushes of the armature is connected with the same leading-in terminal l of the main circuit by means of the wire A, while the other brush is connected with a wire 5, having a branch 6 to one contact-point of the switch S. of which another point normally connected therewith is connected by a wire 7, through the series of resistances R and the switch member S2, with the switch member S, having' a connection with the terminal 3 of the main circuit, as before described. The wire 5, leading' through the second brush of the armature, has another branch, 8, toits respective contact-point of the switch SQ which is adapted to be temporarily connected, as indicated in Fig. 2, with still another point, connected by the wire 9 with a magnet M and thence through the wirc l0 back to the irstnamed brush.

As represented in Fig. l, the lield-eircuit 2 and the armature-circuit L 6 7 are closed to cause the motor to run at a slow speed, the several resistanees R being' interposed in such primary armature-circuit, while, as represented in Fig. 2, the switch S is thrown so as to open the primary armature-circuit and close the short circuit of the armature, causing the generation therein by its continued rotation of a reverse current, which under the influence of the short circuit imposes a braking force on therotation of the armature, while such current simultaneously excites the magnet M to retain the switch member S in operative position against the contrary yielding action of the member Si, to be hereinafter described. The armature having come to rest by the braking action of the current cle-- veloped therein under the conditions just described, current ceases to iiow in the armature short circuit 8 9 10, the magnet M thus losing' its power and permitting the member S to assume its inoperative position (shown in dotted lines in Fig'. 2) to wholly interrupt the connection of the field-coils with the maincircuit terminal 8.

Having thus set forth the operations to be performed by the controller, I will now describe the latter.

The switch-box comprises a rectangular casing a, with depending cylindrical socket 7). housing the lower end of the operating-rod c, encircling which is the spring d, interposed between the lower end of the socket and the head S2 of the operating-rod. The head S2 carries two spring-pressed contact-plugs e and f, insulated therefrom by the bushing f/ and each forked at its outer end to receive a contact-roller /t and rf, respectively. The contact-roller /1/ rolls upon the several relatively insulated plates j of the series of resistances R in a manner well known, while the roller /v rests in permanent contact with the switchlever S, pivoted at its upper end slightly below the initial position of the plug lf at /f upon the insulated forked lug and carrying at its lower end a stud m, adapted to establish connection with the insulated contactpoint n. A iiXed solenoid-magnet M, acting upon the core 7), carried by the lever S, serves to control the position of the latter in opposition to the spring-pressed plug f.

The head S2 of the operating-rod c carries a spring-pressed plug Q, forked at its outer end to embrace the contact-roller o', which is maintained in permanent contact with the pivoted lever s, mounted upon the pivotal pin t in the lixed bracket a and having at its opl posite end the head S, shown herein provided with suitable carbon contacts, and thus adapted to connect together the members of either of the two pairs of insulated contact-studs :1' and ;1/, respectively.

In the initial position of the operating-rml, (represented in Figs. i) and 4,) in which the member S2 is in its extreme elevated position, the principal switch-lever S is in the retracted position assumed under the action of the spring-pressed roller i upon its tail above the pivotal pin if?, the armature short circuit is closed by the similar swinging action of the lever .s S under the action of the spring-presseiil roller fr upon its tail portion above the pivotal pin t, and the upper resistance contact- Dlate ,7' is in connection with the main terminal 3, the main circuit of the armature being interrupted by the switch member S, as indicated partially in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the motor remains at rest. As the operatingrod e is drawn downward in opposition to its spring (Z and the spring-messed contact-rollers v.' and v' simultaneously pass below the pivotal points of the levers S and .s its operation is to close the main motor-circuit by connecting the wires 2 and 3 through the lever S and to throw the armature into the main circuit by connection of the wires (i and 7 through the switch member S, which establishes normal conditions in the motor for causing the latter to rotate. As the operating -rod c is further drawn downward the member S2 operates to gradually cut out the resistances from the primary armature-circuit in a manner well known, so as to increase the speed of the motor to the maximum.

The release of the operating-rod c enables its spring (Z to raise the member Si for suecessively throwing in the resistances R, shifting the member S to short-circuit the motor and cause the contact-roller vl to exert a pressure upon the upper portion of the lever S above its point of support, which is resisted, however, by the action of the magnet M under theiniiuence of thccurrent in the armature short circuit. As the armature comes to rest under the influence of the braking effect imposed by the short circuit the iow of current through the magnet M ceases and the primary switch-lever S is thrown into the inoperative position(shown in Fig. 3)under the action of the roller vi.

By reference to Fig. 7 it will be observed that for operating a series motor in the manner before described the controlling device is substantially the same, merely requiring in addition thereto a third pair of contact-points and a second cross-bar SX, connected with the member S, but insulated therefrom, and carrying two yielding contact-pieces e' to insure the closing of the circuit through the points simultaneously with that through the points y. As indicated in the ligure referred to, current normally iows from the leadingin wire 1 of the main circuit through the wire 2, iield F, and switch members S S2 to the primary contact-plate,7`, thence through the resistance R, wire 7, switch member S, and wires 6 and 5 to the armature A, whence it flows through the wire 4: to the other main-circuit terminal 3. Vhen the switch member S is thrown as indicated in Fig'. 7, the course of the main current is from the terminal l through the wire 2, iield F, switch members S S2 to the primary resistance contact-plate y', and thence through the branch-circuit wire l1, resistance H, contact-points 5 z, connected by the switch member SX, and wire 12 to the other main-circuit terminal 3, while the independent circuit through the armature passes from one brush through the wires 5 and 8, the contactpoints g/ y, connected by the switch member S, wire 9, magnet M, controlling' the switch member S, and wire l0 to the other brush. As in the embodiment of the presentimprovement previously described, the braking of the armature by short-circuiting it as described causes its arrest soon after the throw ot' the switch member S SX and the consequent ccssation of flow of current through the electromagnet M and consequent release oi' the member S, which is thus enabled to assume its open position (indicated in dotted lines) under the action of the member S2, as previously described.

It is evident that the present improvement is susceptible of considerable modilication without departure from the spirit of the in- Ven tion, the electromagnetic action of the current in the independent armature-circuit being readily replaced by mechanical means for efecting the retardation of the throw of the primary switch-lever S under the action of the sl/)ring-pressed plug f with its roller fz', while the type and construction of motor employed and the various features of construction and arrangement of its controlling mechanism as shown and described herein may be modilied to a considerable extent.

Having thus set 'forth the nature of my invention, what I claim herein isl. The combination with an electric motor comprising an armature and a lield adapted to be normally connected with the main circuit to set the motor in operation, of adevice constructed and arranged to effect, by a single actuation, the short-circuiting ol:l the armature and the opening of the iield connection with the main circuit, and controlling means, inoperative when the motor is at rest, for preventing' the opening of the said lield connection with the main circuitin opposition tothe said device.

2. The combination with an electric motor comprising' an armature and a iield adapted to be normally connected with the main circuit to set the motor in operation, and an independent normally open armature-cireuit, ot' a compound switch constructed and arranged to operate by a single initial actuation to open the connection of the armature with the main circuit and close the independent armaturecircuit and to simultaneously establish conditions for the opening of the main circuit with the motor, and means for preventing the opening otl the main circuit until the operation ot' the motor has substantially ceased.

3. The combination with an electric motor comprising an armature and a iield adapted to be normally connected with the main circuit to set the motor in operation, and an independent normally open armature-circuit centaining an electromagnet, of a compound switch comprising a plurality of independent members one of which is in'iiuenced by said magnet to maintain the main circuit closed, and means for controlling the switch members whereby a single actuation causes one of said members to open the connection of the armature with the main circuit and close the independent armature-circuit and to simultaneously produce in the main-circuitswitch member a tendency to open in opposition to the said electromagnet.

4. The combination with an electric motor comprising' an armature and a field adaptedto be normally connected with the main circuit to set the motor in operation, of means constructed and arranged to etfect successively the shortcircuiting oil the armature and the opening of the lield connection with the main circuit, and automatically-acting means controlled independently thereotl for delaying the opening oi' the iield connection.

5. The combination with an electric motor comprising an armature and a iield adapted to be normally connected with the main circuit to set the motor in operation, oi independent switch members adapted for short-circuiting the armature and opening the lield connection with the main circuit, a device acting successively upon said switch members for yieldingly actuating' the same successively, and con trolling l'neans actingindependently of and in opposition to said device for delaying the opening of the iield connection.

6. The combination with an electric motor comprising an armature and a tield adapted to be normally connected with the main circuit to set the motor in operation, oi means construeted and arranged to effect the short-circuiting or' the armature and to open the iieldcircuit, and means controlled by current gcnerated in the short-circuited armature-circuit for maintaining the iield connection with the main circuit closed until the generation oli' current in the short-circuited armature-circuit substantially ceases.

IOO

7. rlhe combination with au electric motor In testimonywhereofhuve siguedmyuume having u Shuut-cireuit ou its held-muguet, or' to this speeilcutou iu the pl'eseueo of two sub- 10 L Switching apparatus whereby the armature serhug witnesses. A muy be thrown onto a short circuit for the Y, Y' v 1 purpose of Converting the motor iut-o u A'ou- QHAH'IJIMS A' b I AUB l* LR" erator to consume its momentum und uu uuto- 'Vituessos: matie switch aduptedto openSuidshunt-circuit (Uulwp: C. MARX, when the urmuture Comes to a stop. HENRY J. M ILLuu. 

